Card Captors
by Fiona
Summary: Set after 'Preventer 5' manga. Crosses over into CCS territory. Heero and Duo find and mistakenly open the Sakura book from CCS. Now they must recapture the cards while bringing down an international arms smuggling ring.


Authors Notes: - This is going to be a series; this is just the first chapter. It's not going to follow the pattern in CCS, but it will have some strong resemblances. It's also based on 'Card Captor Sakura' not the lousy dub version 'Cardcaptors' (Regardless of what the title might suggest.). For those who don't know, Kero should be pronounced Keh-roe, not Keer-roe. I sometimes write more like the dub version of Kero, but that's because it's easier to right for your own language.

A small bit of background first. This is set after the 'Preventer 5' manga. Duo has agreed to stay on with the Preventers for a while, intending to help to finish off the loose ends from the mission he was called up for. The stake out that they're on is only the latest assignment they're on. This will be expanded on in later chapters, but I was more interested in getting all the magic stuff set up.

Currently Heero and Duo are on assignment in London, England (My back yard, more or less. It's closer than Tokyo anyway). Expect the occasional bit of English slang in later chapters.

Japanese terms used

Konyanachiwa - How ya doing! (Note- I did this by ear from my sub copy)

Nani? – What?

K'so – Shit

Gaki – Brat (Kero and Touya (Tori) name for Syaoran Li)

Suggestions for chapters, and a better title will be gratefully received

The rain beat down on the roof of the car, drumming out a rhythmic beat that pushed back the silence threatening to overwhelm the two occupants. The counterpoint to the metallic _pings_ of the rain was the softer clack of chopsticks against the greasy cartons that contained what Duo had laughingly referred to as diner. He'd stopped laughing quite some time ago, the weather and the silence conspiring together to drive him and Heero to near madness.

Duo clumsily scooped up some congealing chow mein and, holding the carton close to his chin, shovelled it into his mouth. He made a disgusted face and stuck his chopsticks back into the carton. "I thought working for the Preventers was supposed to be exciting." He set his half-eaten Chinese meal on the dashboard.

"Dangerous, not exciting," replied Heero, keeping his eyes fixed on the warehouse across the street.

Duo shifted in his seat. "How long until the relief comes?" He eyed the remains of the take-out warily, calculating the likelihood of getting Heero to stop by a pizza place on route home.

Heero's eyes flicked to his partner, then back to the warehouse. "Eat the Chinese. You picked it."

"Aww come on man." Duo banged his head against the chairs headrest. "Some of us have a sense of taste still."

"I tasted it." Heero's features slightly changed to show disgust. "I think it's possibly one of the worst Chinese take-outs I've ever eaten." His features returned to their usual blank state. "I pick next time."

Duo sat up and brushed his damp bangs away from his face. "You always pick horrible stuff."

"It is nutritionally sound."

"It tastes like cardboard," retorted Duo. "And soggy cardboard at that."

The car returned to silence, Heero sitting ramrod straight and Duo occasionally fidgeting. The silence swallowed them as thoroughly as the night enveloped the car. At one point Duo's hand darted towards the car radio, only to be slapped away by Heero. A glaring contest ensued, but was quickly won by Heero.

Duo sighed and rolled his eyes. "I'm going to loose it if Wufei doesn't turn up soon." He started to beat out a rhythm on his knees. "I'm just not suited to stakeouts."

Heero raised an eyebrow. "Stealth operations?"

"Key word 'operations' there. It implies movement." Duo straightened suddenly. "Listen, you hear that?"

Heero nodded. "Sounds like a land rover." He tilted his head slightly to look at the wing mirror. "False alarm. Turned off a side street."

Duo sighed, then folded his arms over his chest. "Well I've had it. Wake me when the relief arrives." He slumped down on his seat and closed his eyes.

**********************

He stood on the building roof, looking across the rooftops of the city. The wind was gentle, stirring his bangs and clothes without stirring the long braid down his back. The light reflected off the stone walls of the building opposite illuminated the confetti falling through the air.

"This is one trippy dream."

He felt someone step up and stand next to him, holding something by his side. On his other side he saw something yellow float into his peripheral vision. His head turned and his eyes locked on two small beady, black eyes that resided in the head of what seemed to be a floating yellow stuffed animal.

"Good luck guys," said the creature.

His attention turned away from the creature and looked down at his hands, which were gently turning a long pink baton, a nervous gesture completely out of his control. He looked down to his fidgeting hands, seeing them clad in black gloves.

"I know I'm dreaming, but I can't seem to control my body."

He plucked the 'confetti' from the air as it drifted pass, turning it over in his gloved hand. It was a card, longer than a playing card, with a picture on the front. Even as his eyes focused on the image the card dissolved into thin air. His body moved without his consent and fell forwards, towards the gap between buildings.

*********************

Duo jerked upright, his arms reaching out to stop his plunge from the rooftop, and forcibly smacking them against the dashboard, before realising that he wasn't falling.

He slumped back in his chair, and turned his head towards Heero.

Heero quirked an eyebrow at Duo. "Interesting dream?"

Duo nodded, then sat up as he noticed the change in scenery around the car. "I see Wufei turned up eventually." He motioned to indicate the apartment block where he and Heero lived outside the car. "Or are you slacking off in your old age?"

Heero gave his version of a grin. "Very interesting dream?"

Duo shoved his car door open. "Shut up." He got out of the car, then linked his fingers over his head and stretched languidly. "We're not on duty for another twenty-four hours. I intend to get some proper sleep in a proper bed, not perched on some lumpy chair." He shoved the door, enjoying the sharp bang as it slammed shut.

Heero got out the car and glared at Duo. "Keep it down. People around here are sleeping." He closed his own door, spinning his keys around a finger. "You did remember about this weekend, didn't you?"

"Yeah, yeah," replied Duo, visibly sagging. "I'll make myself all presentable for your girlfriend's party." He started for the door. "Even got some new threads."

"Relena is not my girlfriend."

"Not for want of trying Heero," smirked Duo. "How many times did she find you?"

"Fourteen."

Duo whistled. "That many?" He stopped by the front door of the building and allowed Heero to open the door with his keys. "Man, Heero, you've got to either tell her to leave you alone, or seriously get involved with her."

Heero twisted the key in the lock and pushed the door open. "She's left me alone since she became Vice Minister." He led the way up the stairs to the small, shabby apartment that they shared. "Have you got her a present?"

"Yeah. I'll show you later." Duo held up a hand to cover a yawn. "But right now I'm planning to sleep for a loooooong time." He remained silent until they got to the apartment. He shrugged out of his Preventers jacket, throwing it on the sofa. "Night Heero." He walked straight out of the living room and into his own room, pausing only to shed his clothes before curling up in his bed and falling into a dreamless sleep.

*************************

Duo took his time in the shower that morning, letting the hot water work the kinks out from sitting all night on a stake out. He came out of the bathroom briskly rubbing a towel against his hair.

"Bout time," complained Heero.

"Yeah well," shrugged Duo, throwing his towel over his shoulders and flipping his hair over it. "There'll still be hot water left for you."

"Better be." Heero moved past Duo and into the out spilling steam of the bathroom.

Duo shrugged to himself, then went back into his room, still rubbing at his hair. He sat on his bed and started the difficult task of untangling his hair. As he did so he let his mind drift back to the dream he'd had last night on the stakeout. It was unusual that he could even remember it. Most dreams either faded from his mind at daybreak, or were the kind of dreams he didn't want to remember. This one was strange, almost feeling as if it was real.

He shrugged and threw his hairbrush back on his desk. Like no one's ever had a weird dream before. He braided his hair, then grabbed his lock picks and Relena's birthday present from a drawer in his desk and started for the kitchen. He paused by the bathroom door. "Toast okay with you Heero?" he called through the door.

"Yeah," called back Heero over the noise of the shower.

Duo nodded to himself, then continued on to the kitchen, leaving his things on the counter as he pulled out some bread from the cupboard and threw it in the toaster. Onto the counter he added the butter, jam, and his favourite chocolate spread. He held a plate behind him and right on cue two slices of toast exited at high velocity from the toaster, arced through the air and landed perfectly on the plate. "Huzzah. That makes twenty three."

"Twenty-three what?" asked Heero, entering the kitchen.

"Times in a row I've won against your ancient toaster." Duo stuck two more slices of bread in. "When is your birthday? I'll get you a new one."

"I don't have a birthday."

"Christmas then." Duo sat at the counter next to Heero and took one of the slices of toast. "You can't keep using a toaster that sends your food flying."

The toaster spat again, sending two more slices of toast though the air. Heero's hands snapped up and snatched them from the air.

Duo whistled appreciatively. "Nice catch." He started slavering the toast with chocolate spread. "Maybe you don't need a new toaster after all."

"Hn." Heero meticulously put spread on his own toast, then started to eat. After the first slice he gestured to the things Duo had brought with him to the table. "Why have you got a pink book on the counter?"

Duo pushed the last piece of toast into his mouth before replying. "It's Relena's birthday present. I found it in an old curio shop." He took a measured swallow of his coffee. "It's got a lock on it, so I figure it's a diary, but it hasn't got a key. So today I'll make one."

Heero picked up the book and looked at it. It was large and leather bound, with faded gilt and an embossed cover. A winged lion stood over a sun, both picked out in gold. A thick strap and clasp held the book shut. Running across the top, and along the spine was embossed the word 'SAKURA'. Under his fingers Heero felt a strange heat emanating from the book. He said as much to Duo.

Duo nodded. "Finding the book was strange. It almost brained me, falling off a shelf. I wasn't even looking for a book to give Relena, so it seemed like it was just, I dunno, asking to be taken."

"Taken?" asked Heero.

"Oh I paid for it, don't worry." Duo lent closer and ran a finger under the title. "Wonder what 'SAKURA' means."

"Cherry blossom," said Heero. "It's a girl's name in Japan."

"Is that a fact?" asked Duo. "Must've been her diary." He reached over for his lock pick set.

Heero raised an eyebrow. "I thought you kept those in your hair."

"Not when I've just woken up," said Duo. He reached out to Heero. "Can I have it back?"

Heero passed the book to Duo, their hands overlapping momentarily. A loud click sounded and the clasp fell open.

"Huh, would you look at that?" Duo set the book on the counter between himself and Heero. "Here I am, stealth operative extraordinaire, and the only lock in the house I haven't picked twenty times over pops open by itself." He banged his head on the counter. "My talents are wasted," he moaned into the counter. He then sat up, a grin back on his face. "Let's see what this Sakura wrote in her diary, then." He reached out and flicked open the cover.

"Huh," said Heero blandly.

"I'll see your 'huh' and raise you a 'what the…?'" Duo reached out towards the cards safely nestled inside the book. The back of the cards were pink with a yellow star on a circular design in the centre. He plucked off the top one.

Heero took the next one, turning it in his hands. "Strange thing to keep in a book."

Duo looked at the face of his card. "Strange name. Windy." He traced a finger across the lower part of the card where 'SAKURA' had been printed in a careful hand under the banner reading Windy.

Suddenly the floor beneath him lit up in a wide circular pattern. A wind began to sweep through the house, fierce enough to pick up the various objects on the kitchen surfaces and to fling open the cupboards and suck out their contents. Heero slammed him to the ground as knives joined the china plates careening into the walls.

"What's going on?" yelled Heero over the wind.

Duo shook his head. "I don't know," he yelled back. He then yelped and put his hands over his head as the wind vanished as suddenly as it came, and with it the pots and pans came crashing back down. They clattered and span, sounding like tiny peals of thunder, until a deathly silence descended on the kitchen.

Duo let Heero drag him to his feet, both of them still gripping the flimsy pieces of card. "What the hell was that?" he asked.

Heero just shook his head and looked around his usually pristine kitchen.

"Whoa, looks like a hurricane hit this place, which I suppose, technically it did. Whadda ya think caused it? And did you see the light show round my feet, wow that was wild." Duo babbled on for a few moments, before running out of steam.

"Duo?" asked Heero, once his companion was silent.

"Yeah?"

"What's missing from here?"

"Well," said Duo, scratching the back of his neck, "I don't think there's any plates left." He looked around more carefully, before spotting the pink book, lying open on the floor. He walked open and picked up the book, only to find the hollow that the cards had been in empty. "That's strange."

Heero nodded. "If the cards are gone from the book, then they should be spread around the room."

Duo sighed and threw the book and his card down on the counter. "Well then let's clean up and see if we can't find them."

Heero nodded and stuck his own card in his pocket. He then poked a toe through the rubbish on the floor until he found the dustpan and nearby the brush. He threw them to Duo, then left the room to find a broom.

"Heeeeeero!" called Duo, sounding panicked.

Heero rushed back into the room to find the strange pink book glowing on the counter. It floated upright, and a glowing figure emerged from the front cover. It was small and yellow, with a large head, beady black eyes, a long tail tipped with a white fluff ball, and white wings. It floated up to about eye level, it's head swinging up. "Konyanachiwa!" It's head moved from side to side, taking in the kitchen knife Duo held in the ready position, and the gun levelled at it's head by Heero. "Nani?" It then wriggled in fear in mid-air and swooped down to hide under the now-empty book.

Duo raised an eyebrow, not taking his eyes off of the creature. "This isn't what I expected from Relena's birthday present." He advanced slowly, letting Heero cover him. "What was that he said anyway?"

"Hello," said Heero. "It's an Osaka accent."

"Huh?" The thing slowly poked it's head out from under the book. "English?" It floated back up. "I can do English too." It's mouth split open in a manic grin. "Hi, how are ya? Nice to meet you! Howdy!" It flew towards Duo, but was stopped short as the youth twitched his knife threateningly.

"Stay right where you are." Duo tried to keep calm. That's the thing in my dream. Damn freaky. He chanced a glance at Heero. "What is going on Heero?"

The little yellow creature struck a pose. "I'm Keroberos, the Guardian Beast of the Seal, companion to the Card Mistress, Sakura Li."

"You sure you speak English?" asked Duo. "Cause I'm not understanding."

The creature sagged. "You don't?"

Duo shook his head.

"Okay." It sank to the book and propped it up. "My name is Keroberos, Kero for short. These are the Sakura Cards." It took the tone of dealing with a slow person. "I guard them."

"You did a lousy job," said Heero.

"What?" Keroberos looked inside the book, then did a double take. "K'so! Where are they? Where are the cards?"

Heero pulled his card out from his pocket. "Here."

Keroberos reached out almost daintily for one his size and took the card. He then smiled up at Heero. "Ah, yes. The Firey. And the rest?"

Duo grabbed his Windy card from the counter and held it up. "Here's mine, the one that caused all this mess for us to clean up."

"And…?"

Duo shrugged. "That's it. The rest of them disappeared."

Keroberos slumped. "Not again. Not capturing them all again."

"All what?" asked Heero.

"The cards, the cards," replied the creature impatiently. "Weren't you paying attention?" He looked from Heero to Duo. "So which one of you opened the book?"

"It opened on its own," said Heero. "While Duo was showing it to me."

Keroberos shook his head. "Which one of you was touching it when it opened?"

Duo thought a moment. "We both were. I brought it in here; Heero looked at it, then passed it back to me. That's when it opened."

"So Sakura was right when she said that I should expect two heirs." Keroberos folded his arms and started to pace on the tabletop. "It's never been done before with two Card Captors." It paced some more before turning o face Heero and Duo. "Well you're just gonna have to help me get them back, that's all."

"What? Are you crazy?" asked Duo. "Why do we need to fetch little pieces of card?"

"Because they're not just cards," explained Keroberos. "They're magical spirits, trapped inside the cards. When you summoned the Windy card they saw their chance and escaped. They'll stay in card form only as long as it suits them to."

"And what if they don't?" asked Heero.

"Some cards are dangerous," said Keroberos. "And if they all lose their card form they'll bring a disaster on the world."

"So why us?" asked Duo. "Why ask us to stop them? Why not ask some one who can do magic?"

Keroberos eyed Duo. "You mean you don't know?"

Duo shot him a look that clearly said 'know what?'.

Keroberos shook his head. "Both of you guys have strong magical abilities. That's why you could open the book in the first place." He sighed. "Now will you help me get the cards back?"

Duo nodded at once, then turned to Heero. "You in?"

"I don't know." Heero met Duo's gaze. "We already have jobs as Preventers, and you've said yourself that maybe its time for you to go back to L2 and Hilde."

"Yeah," said Duo, "But I figure this is gonna be one wild ride. And besides," he grinned, "Who better to save the planet, then the guys who've saved it twice already?"

**************************

Duo swept up the last of the broken crockery, and deposited it with relish in the dustbin. "Finally. The kitchen is clean."

"Hn." Heero looked around slowly, reserving judgement. Finally he nodded. "Acceptable."

"Oh come on Heero, this floor is so clean, we could eat off of it!" moaned Duo.

"We may have to," said Heero. "You wrecked all the china."

"It wasn't my fault!" protested Duo automatically. "It was the card!"

"And speaking of cards…" said Heero, looking around. "Where's Keroberos?"

Duo turned around a few times, searching the room for the troublesome creature. "Not here." He moved out into the hall then paused. "I hear something."

"Your room," confirmed Heero.

The two of them advanced on the door, then Duo entered. "Aww, Kero! That's my private stash!"

Keroberos looked up guiltily, his mouth surrounded with chocolate. "I only ate a little."

"Right," snorted Duo, gesturing at the pile of candy wrappers. "That's 'only a little'? You ate the entire lot!"

Keroberos floated up to Duo's eye level. "Well you shouldn't just leave it lying around!"

"It was under my bed!" protested Duo. "That's not lying around, that's carefully hidden!"

Heero raised an eyebrow. "And why are you hiding chocolate around the apartment?"

"Uh… Well…" Duo searched his mind for an excuse. "You go off on these health kicks, throwing out all my junk food, and you never buy any with the groceries."

Keroberos turned his attention onto Heero. "Naniiiii? You don't keep sweets around?" He curled in on himself in mid-air and did a good impression of a hurt puppy. "Not even pudding?"

Heero looked blankly back. "This great guardian that you claim to be, is obsessed with sweet things?"

"Well yeah," replied Keroberos. "You know most of what I do is so overwhelmingly important that I have enjoy myself when I get my chance."

"With my chocolate," complained Duo.

"Well I doubt 'Stone-face' there has any," said Keroberos, nodding towards Heero.

"Our mission?" asked Heero, trying to get Keroberos back on track now the cleaning was finished.

"Mission?" asked Keroberos.

Duo shrugged and sat cross-legged on the floor. "Mission. It's how he thinks. Set him a task, great or small, and he'll call it a mission."

"You got your cards?" asked Keroberos.

Duo held his up. "You said to always keep them on us."

"Well if you're going to use them, you gotta write your name on them," said Keroberos, flying up to Duo's desk and fetching a pen.

"Why?" asked Heero, retrieving a pen for himself.

Keroberos handed the pen over to Duo. "Until you do, the cards don't see you as their masters. You can't command a card without your name written on it."

"Full name, first name, nickname, what?" asked Duo.

"Kanji?" added Heero.

"Doesn't matter," said Keroberos. "It's how you think of yourself, what you call yourself, that identifies you." He put a hand to his chin. "Names hold a lot of power in themselves. You use names to bind the cards to yourselves, and their names to call upon them."

Duo signed his name in his usual untidy scrawl, Heero using three simple kana.

Keroberos watched them, till they both capped their pens and looked back up, or rather down at him. "You're ready for the next stage?" They nodded once, sharply. "Then stand up." He floated up, faced them and started to glow. Duo's room faded away, to be replaced by a blue-tinted emptiness, and the same diagram appeared on the floor, centred between Duo and Heero, with Heero standing over the Sun symbol, and Duo over that of the moon.

"Keys of the Seal," intoned Keroberos. Two balls of light rose from the Sakura book's lock, and flew to between Heero and Duo.

Keroberos continued. "There are ones here who wish contract with you. The youths by the names of Heero and Duo. Give power to them." The two balls of light separated, one floated to Heero, one to Duo.

Duo peered into the ball of light in front of him and saw a star mounted in a circle. "What the…?"

Keroberos ignored him. "Release!"

Both the boys moved back, shielding their eyes as the light intensity increased tenfold, bringing with them a fierce magical wind. The shadows of the objects surrounded by the light elongated into long, thin objects.

"Take them!" called out Keroberos. 

Duo peered out from behind his hands, only to see the vague outline of a long rod with a ball on one end. He forced his way forwards, through the magical wind and latched his fingers around the shaft. He felt a tingle of energy flow up his arm as soon as he made contact, making his hair stand on end. The light on the rod faded, and Duo felt the flow of the energy reverse, so instead of flowing into him, it was flowing out. His knees gave out as the light vanished and his room returned. "Woah." He looked over to Heero and was annoyed to see that the Japanese youth was not even winded. "At least look like you've been though that, would'ya?"

"Hn." Heero lifted up the object he'd retrieved from the light. It was a sword, about the length of his arm, with an intricately decorated hilt, and a ball with a long red tassel hanging from the end. He held the sword in one hand, then moved it through a figure-of-eight, judging its weight and balance. "Nice sword."

Duo grinned. "Bet mines better."

Heero's mouth twitched in his 'not-quite a smile'. "I don't think so."

Duo looked down at the object in his hands and was struck by the colour.

It was pink.

"Huh?" His eyes continued up to the top of the staff, where a large yellow star was sat in a loop, with a pair of white wings beneath. "It's pink."

"Great observation," said Heero.

"Aww come on!" Duo got up and waved the rod under Keroberos's nose. "This is not cool! How come Heero gets a cool sword and I get this?"

"That," said Keroberos, "Is Sakura's Star staff. It was she who controlled these cards. She even made some of them."

"But a pink rod?" asked Duo. "Why that and a sword?"

"The sword belonged to the gaki," said Keroberos. "Sakura's husband, Syaoran. He was a great magician himself, but don't tell him I said that."

"You're telling me I got the better deal?" asked Duo incredulously.

Keroberos nodded. "The staff holds a great deal of her power still."

Heero tested the edge of the sword. "But how are we to carry these around with us? A sword is not incredibly inconspicuous, but that pink rod of Duo's is."

"Hey!"

"Well with a bit of practice you can withdraw your magic," said Keroberos.

"Huh?" asked Duo. "You couldn't try explaining these things as if we didn't know about magic, which hey, we don't."

Keroberos floated up and sat cross-legged in mid-air. "You seem to ask far more questions than usual. The sword and staff are only in that form because they're channelling your power. If you cut off the power, then they'll shrink back."

"Explain," said Heero.

"I just did. You weren't paying attention," said Keroberos frostily.

Duo decided to try to figure it out for himself before Heero started to strangle the fluffy creature. He held out the staff one-handed in front of him. In his mind he tried to visualise a wall around him, one that his arm, and by extension the rod, fell outside. He closed his eyes as a light flared around the rod, then opened them again to find it had disappeared. He grinned, then felt something in his hand. He brought his hand in close and opened his fist palm up to reveal a key with the same star and wing motif that had been on the top of the staff. "Cool."

Keroberos and Heero looked up from where they had been bickering.

"You did it!" grinned Keroberos. "It took Sakura ages to figure that trick out. She used to have to wait until she fell asleep before it would snap back."

Heero rounded on Duo. "Report method, and probable cause."

"Report method and probable cause" mimicked Keroberos. "You sound like a robot!"

Heero glared.

*********************

"Duo!" called Heero, pulling on his Preventer jacket. "Time to go!"

Duo finished his coffee in one gulp, then got up from the counter in the kitchen, grabbing his own jacket. "I'm there," he called back.

Keroberos floated out of Duo's bedroom, where he'd been locked in and forced to clean up the candy wrappers. "Can I come?" He made puppy-eyes at Duo. "Pleasepleasepleasseplease?"

Duo sighed. "Okay, okay. I'm too late to argue."

Heero grabbed his arm. "You mean we're too late. We've only got fifteen minutes to get to the docks to trade off with the latest team."

Duo shooed Keroberos out of the apartment and shut the door. "Who's on it now?"

"Smith and Perkins," replied Heero, pulling open the driver side door and getting in the car.

"And how come we get the night shift on these stakeouts, huh?" Duo opened his own door, then stopped. "Heero?" he said, slightly panicked. "There's something weird in the air." His head snapped back and forth. "It's making my hair stand on end."

Keroberos floated in mid-air, his eyes shut in concentration. After a few seconds they snapped open. "It's a Sakura Card! That's an aura you're feeling."

The wind picked up, slow at first, then hard enough to start Duo's braid moving in the air currents.

"It's coming closer," called out Keroberos.

Heero got out of the car, holding his tassel in his hand. "Where?"

All three of them ducked as a huge blue bird with a long thin neck, like those in drawings by Native Americans, flew overhead, blowing over trashcans and spreading papers as it passed. It screeched loud, causing the windscreens of the nearby cars to shake, then fracture.

"It's the 'Fly' card," said Keroberos, flying closer to the car. "We need to get ahead of it, then stop it. It'll be attracted to your magic when you use it."

Heero slid back into the car. "Get in." As soon as Duo sat, Heero threw the car into gear and screeched off in pursuit of the card. "Duo, Keroberos, navigate. I can't pick up the auras."

Duo braced himself against the dashboard as Heero sent the car screeching around a corner. "This is hardly conductive to meditation Heero."

Heero just glared at him.

"Okay, okay." Duo shut his eyes. The weird static feeling was coming from one direction. Duo opened his eyes. "That way," he said, pointing off slightly to the left.

"Acknowledged." Heero sent the car off in that direction. "This runs close to Hyde Park."

Keroberos looked out the window. "It's not close to Hyde Park, the card is sat right in the middle of it!"

"What?" Heero moved the car to the curb by the main gates, then slammed on the handbrake. "Let's move." He got out the car, and climbed the locked gates to the park.

"He always like this?" asked Keroberos.

Duo shrugged. "I told you he had a mission mentality." He exited the car and scaled the gate as easily as Heero did. He dropped to the ground on the far side, and sprinted down the path, Keroberos flying beside him at the level of his ear. He skidded to a halt next to Heero. "Oh shit. That bird is huge!"

The bird's head swung towards the group and regarded them coldly.

"I don't like how it's looking at us Heero," said Duo, fingering the key on its chain under his shirt.

Heero nodded in agreement, and pulled out his gun, emptying his clip into the bird's centre of mass.

The bird keened and flapped its wings, creating a gale-force wind that blew Keroberos back and forced Heero and Duo to lean into the wind.

Keroberos fought his way back. "Weapons aren't going to do anything! You have to fight it with magic!"

"What magic?" asked Duo. "We only have two cards between us!"

Keroberos latched onto Duo's coat and yelled into his ear. "Fly comes from wind. You can use your Windy card to tie it down to perform the sealing ritual." He reached out a paw to tug on the chain round Duo's neck. "Summon the staff like I showed you!"

Duo nodded and pulled the key from under his shirt and held it on the palm of his hand. "Key which hides the Power of the Stars," he intoned, shouting over the wind. "Reveal your true form before me. Under the contract, I Duo command thee. Release!" The key spun and expanded back into the staff, hovering in mid-air, until Duo plucked it out of the air. He spun it round a few times to get used to the weight.

"You're too far away," Keroberos told him. "Fly will escape before Windy can catch it."

Duo pulled out his own gun and tossed to Heero. "Kero, stay here with Heero." With that, he dived off into the bushes.

***********************

Duo crept through the undergrowth, keeping a wide distance between himself and the card. He kept careful count as Heero periodically fired at the Fly, hoping to keep its attention on him and Keroberos while Duo snuck around.

"Knew my stealth techniques were good for something," he muttered to himself, even as he untangled another branch from his staff. He was almost there, but from his count Heero only had two bullets left. One now, he thought to himself as another shot rang out. He started to advance on the card's back, then stood in a clearing, pulling his Windy card from a pocket. He threw the card above him, and watched amazed as it spun in mid-air above his head, the now-familiar circular pattern forming below him.

"Wind, become the chains that bind Fly," he said, remembering Keroberos's instructions to make the instructions clear. "Windy!" He raised his staff so he was holding it vertically, pointing at the card. His amazement increased as the card dissolved into a white female figure, with long hair streaming behind her. She wrapped her air about Fly, the bird screeching all the while. Suddenly the bonds holding Fly tightened and the bird crashed to the ground.

Duo ran forwards, and felt Heero draw up beside him, aiming his gun with it's final bullet at the prone form of the Fly card. Duo concentrated on an image of a card, just as Keroberos had told them to do when capturing cards.

"Return to thy rightful form!" The magic circle returned and Duo pointed the staff at the struggling bird. "Sakura card!"

A glowing rectangle formed in front of the end of the staff as the bird seemed to turn to liquid. It's flesh started to peel away and flow into the rectangle, causing it to emit a pitiful keening sound. Finally it collapsed totally and the rectangle solidified into a card.

Duo sighed and drooped, allowing the magic circle to fade. He held out his hand and two cards drifted into them.

"Here."

Duo looked up to see Heero handing back his gun, and offer a pen. Duo blinked, confused, before it clicked. "Oh, right. Sign the card." He shoved the gun back into its shoulder rig, then used the pen to scrawl his signature onto the bottom of the card.

"So what does the Fly card do?" asked Heero of Keroberos.

Duo smiled. Figures Heero wants to know capabilities.

Keroberos smiled. "Try it Duo."

"No instructions?" asked Duo.

Keroberos shook his head. "Doesn't need it."

"Okay," shrugged Duo. He threw the card up, again marvelling at how it defied gravity. "Fly!" The card dissolved and flew around him before dissipating. "That's it?" he asked.

Heero opened and closed his mouth a few times before his voice started to work. "Look behind you Duo."

"Huh?" Duo turned his head and saw a flash of white. "_Holy shit_!" He dropped to the ground in surprise. "Am I dead?"

"Nah," said Keroberos. "It's just the Fly card. It gives the user wings."

Duo got unsteadily to his feet, then flapped his new appendages a few times. He was rewarded by moving a few inches off the ground, before dropping back down again.

"Wow." Suddenly the look of reverence was replaced by a wide grin, before Duo flexed his wings and took off into the sky, unsteady at first, but gaining in surety fast. He picked up speed, and then pulled into a loop. "Whoo-hoo!"

Heero followed with his eyes. "Duo! Get down here!"

"Why?" called back Duo. "This is great!"

"We were late before the card disrupted our evening. Now we're really late."

Duo stopped flapping in shock, and dropped like a stone. He caught himself before smashing into the ground. "You're right Heero." He turned to Keroberos. "Quick, how do I lose the wings?"

"Visualise yourself without them," Keroberos told him. "As I said, all magic relies on perception."

Duo concentrated and the wings faded, followed by the staff. "Let's go. We're already going to be in trouble for not making the bust, let's not be in trouble for being late."


End file.
